once u have a moon

Now I Own A Moon, What's Next?



1. Moon Size and Fields

Now that you have a moon you need to be aware of its size and max field spaces, this can be worked out using the following formula
(moonsize/1000) ^2

The size of the moon is totally random. A successful 1% chance could give a size of 5632km while a 13% could give 1200km. The exception is a successful 20% chance, this will ALWAYS give a moon of at least 8000km.

Moons start with one free field, this means that you need to build a Lunar Base first, when this is complete you will be given another 3 fields (using 1/4). If you want to expand a decent amount then you need to reserve one of these fields for the next Lunar Base, leaving 2 spare fields.


2. What Can I Build On A Moon?

Lunar Base's are the building that make the moon 'work', explained above.
Robotics Factory, this will shorten the time taken to build the buildings and any defense.
Shipyard, to build defense on moons. Note IBM's can't be fired at moons.
Resource storage, pretty pointless to build this as it has no use.
Alliance Depot, only if ACS is in your Uni.
Phalanx, the main reason to have a moon. A device that will let you scan the surrounding planets for fleet activity that it arriving or departing at the planet. Will provide you with fleet consistency, time of arrival and place of origin.
Jump gates, provide you with a method of being able to move your fleet vast distances at no cost. Needs to be used in conjunction with at least one other jump gate owned by you.


3. What Order Do I Build Things?

This all depends on personal taste. Some people advocate that you should build only Lunar Bases and Robotics Factories until you reach lvl10 on both, and then build a Phalanx to lvl 6 or more, and a Jump gate.

If you are an active crasher, or aspire to being one, then you should be thinking of getting the Phalanx up and running asap. If you are a more cautious player then you may think about getting some defense on the moon. Typically most gamers see defense on a moon as pointless, as it is ever so easy to fleetsave/res save with a moon, due to it not being able to be scanned by another moons Phalanx.

Below you will see two short build orders, these are by no means a definitive answer. If you are still unsure about what to build after reading this then politely ask someone near you who has a moon for their advice too.

Defensive Build

Empty Moon(0/1 fields used)
Lunar Base level 1 (1/4 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 1 (2/4 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 2 (3/4 fields used)
Lunar Base level 2 (4/7 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 3 (5/7 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 4 (6/7 fields used)
Lunar Base level 3 (7/10 fields used)
Shipyard level 1 (8/10 fields used)
Shipyard level 2 (9/10 fields used)
Lunar Base level 4 (10/13 fields used)
Shipyard level 3 (11/13 fields used)
Shipyard level 4 (12/13 fields used)

Using a moon in a defensive capability includes wanting to fleetsave from it and having some defense to protect any res on the planet and the ships a little if you do get caught out.

Offensive Build

Empty Moon(0/1 fields used)
Lunar Base level 1 (1/4 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 1 (2/4 fields used)
Phalanx level 1 (3/4 fields used)
Lunar Base level 2 (4/7 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 2 (5/7 fields used)
Phalanx level 2 (6/7 fields used)
Lunar Base level 3 (7/10 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 3 (8/10 fields used)
Phalanx level 3 (9/10 fields used)
Lunar Base level 4 (10/13 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 4 (11/13 fields used)
Phalanx level 4 (12/13 fields used)

Nuts Build:


Empty Moon(0/1 fields used)
Lunar Base level 1 (1/4 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 1 (2/4 fields used)
Robotics Factory level 2 (3/4 fields used)
Lunar Base level 2 (4/7 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 3 (5/7 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 4 (6/7 fields used)
Lunar Base level 3 (7/10 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 5 (8/10 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 6 (9/10 fields used)
Lunar Base level 4 (10/13 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 7 (11/13 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 8 (12/13 fields used)
Lunar Base level 5 (13/16 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 9 (14/16 fields used)
Robotics Factory Level 10 (15/16 fields used)
Lunar Base level 6 (16/19 fields used)
Jumpgate level 1 (17/19 fields used)
Phalanx level 1 (18/19 fields used)
Lunar Base level 7 (19/22 fields used)
Phalanx level 3 (20/22 fields used)
Phalanx level 4 (21/22 fields used)
Lunar Base level 8 (22/25 fields used)
Phalanx level 5 (23/25 fields used)
Phalanx level 6 (24/25 fields used)
Phalanx level 7 (25/25 fields used)
Decon Robotics level 10 (24/25 fields used)
Phalanx level 8 (25/25 fields used)
Decon Robotics level 9 (24/25 fields used)
Shipyard level 1 (25/25 fields used)
Decon Robotics level 8 (24/25 fields used)
Shipyard level 2 (25/25 fields used)
From here you get the idea decon Robotics while building up shipyard untill Robotics is at level 2.

Note that it's not until you hit level 4 phalanx that you begin to really see how useful of a weapon it is. I personally recommend raising it to at least 7(which is 49 systems EACH way so 98 systems total) which is the point where the duet cost of sending your fleet there as well as the cost of upgrading it further become quite high.

Also note that in my build I constructed the jump gate as soon as I hit my Robotics goal. This is so that I can gate my fleet there instead of spending the millions of duet traveling there. All I do is send my transports on a moon to moon deploy with the res I want to bring and then gate my fleet there once the transports arrive. If it's your first moon there's no point in constructing the jump gate until just before you start to decon your Robotics factory as the res is better spent elsewhere until then. I also build up my moons one at a time as it costs a lot of crystal and duet to do so and is difficult to do efficiently when spreading yourself between more than one.


4. Abandoning a moon

Maybe you have a small moon on a planet but want to get a bigger one so it cannot be destroyed by RIPs that easily. In this case you can abandon the moon like a colony. Change to the moon using the drop down menu and press on the link called: Moon "Moon" at orbit of [X:XXX:XX] where "Moon" is the name of your moon. There you can abandon it.

Once it is abandoned it will still be visible in the Galaxy for 1-2 more days but in that time it is owned by the space. Missions going to the moon will still proceed and are not automatically recalled. The moon will be displayed red bordered if it was abandoned.


How Do I Use My Moon?



1. What is a Sensor Phalanx and how does it work?

A sensor phalanx allows you to scan any planet within range (range is [(level of the phalanx)² - 1] solar systems). When you scan a planet, you get a readout in a popup of all fleets going to and coming from that planet, similar to the overview screen of that player, giving the exact arrival times, and the fleet composition. The advantage of this, is a player can scan your planet, see your fleet on a mission, and time his fleet to arrive 2 seconds after at your planet, this meaning he will destroy it for sure. This is why it's vital to avoid being in phalanx range. Every scan with a sensor phalanx costs 5,000 deuterium.

note:
quote:
What a phalanx can see:

If you scan the origin planet or the target planet:

- Fleets on attack mission (ACS too)
- Fleets on transport mission
- Fleets on espionage mission
- Fleets on hold mission (ACS)

If you scan the origin planet:

- Fleets on a harvest mission
- Fleets heading towards a moon except deployment
- Fleets recalled from all missions except deployment
- Fleets on moon destruction mission
- Fleets on colonise mission
- Fleets returning from a mission

If you scan the target planet:

- Fleets on deployment

What a phalanx can't see:

If you scan the target planet:

- Fleets recalled from deployment mission
- Fleets heading towards that planet's moon or debris field from elsewhere
- Fleets returning from a mission

If you scan the origin planet:

- Fleets on a deployment mission
- Fleets recalled from deployment mission


A few things to note when using a Phalanx:

A- The longer it's been since your last phalanx of the target the more inaccurate the time will be in your window. So be sure to refresh this within the last minute before launching your attack.

B- When trying to time your attack choose your time carefully. Avoiding a 1 second hit is impossible without cheating, 2 seconds is nearly impossible without cheating, 3 seconds is unlikely but possible, 4 seconds is possible and anything 5 seconds and above is probable. Also note that if it's a deploy mission your attacking to add 2 seconds to each of these times as there will be a 2 second lag with the fleet landing.

C- When a deploy mission is recalled it will disappear from your phalanx.

D- You can only see the fleet makeup on it's first leg of the journey.

E- Fox game can be used to make it easier to time your attack by using the times in the overview.

F- If you're in an ACS uni use a single ship ie a Large Cargo or Light Fighter when first setting the time. Do this with enough time for another attempt if you miss time it as this will cost you very little duet if you need to recall it and try again compared to your entire fleet which can then be ACS'd into the attack later.

G- Planets owned by (i I) [= space] are phalanxable.

H- When phalanxing the target planet you will see the time till the fleet arrives there. When phalanxing the origin planet you will see the time till the return of the fleet but not when the fleet is arriving at it's target - it is the complete flight time that is displayed in this case!


2. What are Jumpgates and what do they do?

Jumpgates are hugely expensive buildings that can be built on moons. You need at least TWO jumpgates (and therefore TWO moons) for them to function. You can then send a fleet of as many ships as you like (but not resources, only ships) between the two jumpgates once per every 60 minutes, TOTALLY free. Jumpgate travel is instantaneous. You can only send fleets between two jumpgates that YOU own.


3. Fleetsaving

Assuming that you know what this is. With a moon you are able to fleetsave to a DF by including Harvesters in the fleet, while you are able to do this from a planet, when you do it from a moon the fleet is undetectable by Phalanx. The only vulnerable time is when it sits on your moon. This allows for some very handy fleetsaving over long distances. Having a moon in orbit also means that it takes approx 3 minutes for a fleet to travel to the planet at full speed and costing just a few 100 in Deuterium, even for a huge fleet. The advantages of this are covered just below.

Also note that Df's can be watched if your fleetsaving is too regular so mix it up as well as sending decoy fleets to gather up the DF before your main fleet does making sure to vary these times. The only 100 percent safe fleetsave is a deploy mission between moons if you are online before it arrives.

4. Ninja's

If you have two moons you are able to set up Ninja's if you have jump gates on both moons. Typically you need some bait to lure an attacker to attack with a decent sized fleet. When they are just about to hit the moon/planet, you can then send your ships through the jump gate and catch them off guard. This technique is best used with a high level of espionage, this may have the effect of limiting the attackers view of your moon, thus not enabling them to see that you have a jump gate.

Using the Phalanx you are able to see at what time a fleet will reach a certain planet. Armed with this knowledge you are now able to send your fleet to arrive at the planet (if they are returning home) just a matter of seconds after them, thus not allowing enough time for them to fleetsave. Alternatively you are able to defend someone with the same level of accuracy if you are on their buddy list.

This is the basic gist of a Phalanx Ninja, it is a little more intricate, and I would suggest that advice is sought from an experienced player, or small experimentations are made prior to a major Ninja attempt.



So are there any disadvantages?



1. Destroying Moons

Moon destruction with RIP's is a risky business. There is not a huge chance that they will be able to destroy the moon and a very good chance that they will be destroyed in the attempt themselves. The chance of the Deathstar destroying the moon is worked out with the following formula

(100 - squareroot(moonsize)) * (squareroot(number of deathstars))

For ten Deathstars attacking a moon that is 8000km in size

(100 - 89.44) * 3.16 = 33.36
So a 33% chance of succeeding

At the same time as this there is a chance that the Deathstars will be destroyed by the moon, worked out by the following

(squareroot(Moonsize))/2

89.44 / 2= 44.72
A 44% chance that they will be destroyed themselves

If a moon is destroyed, all fleets going to the moon will go to the planet instead. They then become visible when phalanxing the planet in question. All foreign fleets sent to the moon will be automatically recalled at the same moment when the moon explodes. If a moon is destroyed, you can get a new one at the same planet.



FAQ's


1. When I mouse over a moon on the galaxy page, what do those numbers mean?

-S:xxxx is the size of the moon in kilometers, and the T:xx is the minimum temperature of the moon (not useful for anything currently).


2. Can I get more than one moon, and would it be useful?

-Of course, but not around the same planet. Two moons, especially in different galaxies, would be great - you can have phalanxes on both, giving you two large scanning areas, and jump gates between them - it takes recyclers around 10 hours and 1.5k deut each to travel 2 galaxies at 100% speed, so free instantaneous travel quickly pays for itself.


3. Does the moon give extra points?

-The Moon itself doesn't give you any extra points just as a colony doesn't and is treated the same (i.e. you do get points for anything built on it).

4. Will the player I'm Phalanxing know it?

-Until they see your fleet timed to land 2~4 seconds after their's does. They do not receive any message that they are being phalanxed.

5. Can you fleet save by attacking a planet and still be undetectable when sending from the moon since moons can't be scanned?


-Yes, BUT they may pick up your fleet by scanning the planet you're attacking. This is not recommended.

6. If someone attacks my planet will they get the res from my moon as well and will the ships from both be in the attack?

-Not at all, think of them as 2 individual colonies side by side. They are not connected to each other in any way as far as an attack is concerned.

7.I was doing a moontrade and once my fleet crashed into the other players planet he recalled his fleet that was sent to attack me. What can I do about this?

-Unfortunately there's not anything you can do unless you are the lower ranked player AND he recycles the DF from your fleet at which point he can be reported for pushing. If he doesn't recycle the DF there isn't currently anything that can be done from the GO's side. If he's the lower ranked player he can do this AND recycle the DF and nothing can be done as well.